Oakland rookie Mike Mitchell remembers well his first peek behind the eye patch at Raiders headquarters. The Lombardi Trophies shined, the team slogans resounded, the black-and-white pictures reminded of a more glorious time.
"Just seeing that tradition, the pictures of Fred Biletnikoff, Willie Brown, Bo Jackson and all those guys," Mitchell said in wide-eyed wonder. "I was overwhelmed. This is a rich tradition."
As Mitchell studied each legend's hallway photo, he had no idea those ghosts of Raiders' past were staring back at him and the rest of the 2009 team, studying their every move and dissecting their every play.
Yesteryear's players are wearied by six straight losing seasons. They see hope in a young roster that could start nine players with two or fewer years of experience.
They want to tell the next generation of Raiders how to grow up to be just like them. So, turn off the iPods and listen: After all, these are the guys who have been there and won that.
Advice for Russell
Daryle Lamonica doesn't care how strong Russell's arm is, and that's coming from arguably the strongest-armed quarterback in franchise history.
Throwing hard and far might be enough in college, but the NFL is all about learning the nuances of screen passes and short routes that set up the go-deep section of the playbook.
"I don't care who you are or what we all thought coming out of college, you've got to do your time," Lamonica said. "The defensive backs in college, you can pretty much beat most of them. You find at this level, the defensive backs are just as quick, if not quicker, than your receivers.
"It becomes a game of angles. The hooks, the outs, the comebacks. When you can complete your 12-15-yard passes, that opens up the deep game."
For Lamonica, it didn't happen until Year 5, when he was traded to the Raiders and became the Mad Bomber with a 3,200-yard season.
Jim Plunkett said Russell, who is entering his third year, must progress sooner than that. Teams these days don't have the patience for slow-developing No. 1 overall draft picks, not at mega-contract prices.
"You're the guy getting the big bucks to do the job," said Plunkett, the No. 1 overall pick in 1971 who got bounced from the Patriots and 49ers before winning two Super Bowls for the Raiders. "When you're the quarterback, everybody relies on you to come up with a big play or put together a winning drive.
"They say he's a young guy but you pay him a lot of money. He's got to carry this team every now and then. Not every week, but he's got to be confident he can do that."
Draft status doesn't make that happen, Plunkett said. Working double-time does.
"Any young guy, you've got to put your time in, you've got to study film, you've got to read reports and all the computerized printouts you're given. You've got to spend time on the field working with your guys day in and day out.
"They're going to depend on you."
Advice for Heyward-Bey
Tim Brown doesn't care how fast rookie Darrius Heyward-Bey runs, and that's coming from the last speed-racer to make it big as a Raiders wide receiver.
Brown is more interested in how quickly the No. 7 overall draft pick can learn. There is so much more to the position than 40 times in shorts. There are routes to memorize, precise cuts to make, catches to properly secure.
"I think it's always important to know what to expect," said Brown, the sixth overall pick in 1988. "The only way you're going to do that is to talk to guys who have been there, whether it's guys playing now who are older or it's guys who played years ago."
Brown's early years were molded by players such as Mervyn Fernandez, James Lofton, Willie Gault and Jessie Hester. Brown took bits and pieces from each player and parlayed that into nine Pro Bowls, 100 touchdowns and nearly 15,000 receiving yards.
Heyward-Bey has Javon Walker, who remembers what it's like to have Heyward-Bey's size and speed. Lofton still works in the building, last anyone heard. Johnnie Lee Higgins knows a 4.3-thing or two about turning speed into touchdowns.
"I had guys who just taught me everything I needed to know about the game," Brown said. "After that, you just have to delve yourself into your craft and make yourself the best receiver you can possibly be.
"No matter what people say, you know what you're capable of doing."
Advice for Mitchell
Jack Tatum doesn't care how hard Mitchell can hit ... OK, he does care, but The Assassin knows the game has changed since he roamed the field in the '70s.
"Coming to the league, you've just got to bring it," Tatum said. "You've got to bring all of it. They make it a lot harder now because they changed a lot of the rules. You can't lay the wood on guys over the middle like you could in the good old days. It costs you $25,000 bucks.
"Good thing I'm not playing today. I'd probably owe them money by the end of the game. But you've still got to bring it."
Like Tatum, Mitchell comes to the Raiders as a hard-hitting safety from an Ohio college who is known for knockout blows. But, NFL players don't go down so easily, Tatum said. They're built stronger, run faster and hear footsteps better. Launch off both feet against LaDainian Tomlinson, and you're a flying airball.
In other words, don't always try to demolish a ball carrier when a sure tackle will do just fine in most cases.
"The main thing is getting them on the ground, tackling them to the ground," Tatum said. "It doesn't matter how hard you hit them, just get them on the ground."
Just then, Tatum smiled, as if imaging what he'd do if he were Mitchell's age again.
"Then you can take your shots when they present themselves. That's what the Raiders are known for and that's what you got to do."
What former Raiders are telling today's Raiders:
Tight end
Raymond Chester, four-time Pro Bowler, to Zach Miller:
"I challenge Zach to take over the leadership role like all the Raiders' tight ends did before him."
Running back
Bo Jackson, 1990 Pro Bowler, to Darren McFadden:
"He ain't no young kid. He's a grown man. Go out and do what you're paid to do and run that ball. Just run that ball."
Punt returner
George Atkinson two-time AFL All-Star, to Johnnie Lee Higgins:
"You can't have any fear, you know? You can't ever second guess yourself. You have to have confidence. You wouldn't have got this far if you didn't know what you were doing. No fear."
Quarterback
Daryle Lamonica, who played for Oakland from 1967 through '74, and Jim Plunkett, a two-time Super Bowl winner, to JaMarcus Russell:
"It becomes a game of angles. The hooks, the outs, the comebacks. When you can complete your 12-15-yard passes, that opens up the deep game." - Daryle Lamonica
"Any young guy, you've got to put your time in, you've got to study film, you've got to read reports and all the computerized printouts you're given. You've got to spend time on the field working with your guys day in and day out. They're going to depend on you." - Jim Plunkett
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